Sitting Down in Sandwich

Another winter day on Cape Cod turns into another afternoon of good conversation.

We weighed in a couple of weeks ago about a leisurely afternoon at our Hyannis restaurant when what was supposed to have been a quick stop turned into a two-hour “talk-a-thon.” Cape Cod is known for being quiet in the winter months. That may be an understatement. Actually, it’s deads-ville, so we were pleasantly surprised to find so many friendly faces on a late January afternoon.

Inquiring minds wanted to know: Was the presence of so many people at our Hyannis pub an anomaly or is Cape Cod more fun in the winter than has been widely reported? Further investigation was required, and since “further investigation” in our line of work means going to yet another pub, we were happy to tackle the project.

It was smack-dab in the middle of winter, at 3 p.m. on January 26, after the lunch rush and too early for the happy hour crowd. The place was the BBC in Sandwich (which is on the Cape; just making sure you “non-Codders” are aware).

We noted the presence of more than a few cars in the parking lot – a promising sign – and we headed for the bar where we actually had trouble finding seats. Patrons politely did some much-appreciated rearranging so we were able to grab a couple of stools. But wait, people were not only in the bar area; several tables in the lounge were also occupied and a happy hum of voices filled the air.

We instantly struck up a convo with Jen and Derek, who were seated to our right. They were engaged in friendly banter – our favorite kind of communication – and they immediately included us. After exchanging names and the usual ‘How are you? What do you do?’ stuff, Derek started giving Jen a good ribbing about getting lost while walking her dog along the Cape Cod Canal. “It’s a canal!” he said. “There’s only two ways to go, north or south.”

Sorry, Jen, but the man had a point.

Sarah and Connor (spelled with two ns and two os – “The right way” – as Connor put it) were bartending and they also were clearly having a good time razzing each other. Harry, one of the owners, then made an appearance. After exchanging high-fives and hugs with virtually every person in the room, he made himself at home behind the bar. While we didn’t personally witness him pouring a drink, we did notice that he was clearly comfortable being on the business side of a bar. Once a bartender, always a bartender.

So the results of our “further investigation” provided us with irrefutable proof that the Cape is way more fun in the middle of winter than had been previously reported. Is that what “they” mean by “fake news?”

Harry Gnong, one of the owners of the BBC, and his daughter Hannah at our Sandwich pub.